Starting to prepare my Coupe for winter storage.
Have already purchased the car cover and the car wll be plugged into a battery tender and stored in a dry and heated garage
Besides the usual preacautions is there anything in particular that needs to be performed on this type of vehicle to ensure no problems when it comes out of storage in may?
I would disconnect the car's negative battery terminal so the tender is only on the battery. I don't like battery tenders since voltage fluctuations can cause problems with the car's electronics.
I would start the engine and bring it to operating temperature once every two weeks - with the AC running. Also, put the car on jack stands to prevent flat spots on the tires.
I have a winter storage for my car for more than 8 years now. This is my procedure:
Disconnect the battery. From time to time measure the voltage. Is it around 12.5 you can recharge.
Fill up the tank with ethanole free fuel if storage is more than 3 months (E10 degrade to two fractions, Ethanol/water, which hardly ignites and fuel only which has a too low octane number)
Pump up the tires to 3 bar.
Remove the windshield wipers, to avoid damage to the rubber. Let the wiper arm rest on the glass.
Put a drying agent in the car. I use a zeolite bag for motorcycles.
Release the parking brake
Do not start the car because you deposit acid water in the mufflers
Do not put the car on jack stands, because you damage the front lower control arm rubber bushings, they are designed to be on normal ride high.
Wiper blades are cheap; windshields are expensive. Why not just retract the wipers so that they are not in contact with the glass? There are several scenarios in which the wipers could activate when you're not thinking about it.
Lots of people have different opinions about how best to store a car. Some suggest removing the spark plugs and spraying fogging oil in the combustion chamber once a month - others say to run the engine occasionally. I've never stored a W203 as that's my winter car, but what I do with my Miata is:
1. Wash the car and clean the interior as thoroughly as possible.
2. Drive the car at least 30 minutes to thoroughly warm up all of the fluids and clear any condensation from the exhaust immediately before storage.
3. Fill the tank with ethanol-free premium gas. If you can't get ethanol-free gas add some fuel stabilizer.
4. Pump the tires to maybe 5 pounds over the normal pressure.
5. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
6. Put on a car cover.
Then I don't touch it until the spring. It has always started immediately and I then drive it at least 30 minutes again. My Miata is now 21 years old so I guess whatever I'm doing works for me.
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